Pitfalls in the diagnosis of neuroblastoma by 99mTc-MDP scintigraphy: a case report

A routine bone scan was performed on an infant presenting with abdominal mass. Initially, the stasis of activity in the right ureter, which was compressed by a large abdominal meningocoele, was mistaken for activity in a neuroblastoma. A subsequent kidney scintigram led to the correct interpretation. The misinterpretation of abdominal 99mTc-MDP accumulation can be prevented by the correlation of bone and kidney scintigrams. In this way, the correct site of the radiopharmaceutical concentration can be assessed, and the damage caused by any kind of abdominal mass to the compressed urinary tract and kidney can be assessed.